Image: Bentley
Bentley is the latest company to enter into a partnership with Vertu, the independent luxury smartphone company that was originally started by Nokia. The ‘Bentley phone’, which is scheduled for launch in October, will include iconic Bentley design elements, lifestyle services, “exclusive Bentley experiences,” and special content and apps for fans of the brand. Famous for manufacturing expensive smartphones made of premium materials such as gold and diamonds, Vertu has collaborated with major luxury car companies such as Porsche and Ferrari in the past. This exclusive five-year partnership seeks to expand the horizons of the luxury smartphone industry with innovative new designs that showcase contemporary elegance and superior performance standards of both the brands.
Vertu CEO Massimiliano Pogliani with Bentley CEO Wolfgang Durheimer at the headquarters of Bentley in Crewe. Image: Vertu
Wolfgang Dürheimer, chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, declared: “Bentley’s new partnership with Vertu brings together two world-leading brands defined by their commitment to performance, luxury and customer experience. The collaboration expands Bentley’s luxury range into the cutting-edge world of mobile communications and offers customers a new way to experience the world of Bentley.”
“Exclusive Bentley content will appeal to drivers, travellers and brand enthusiasts, through a partnership that delivers on both technology and touch. Today, we see the marriage of two great brands with an international presence and quintessential British heritage and character. The unique experience of luxury and performance inherent in every Bentley has now found further expression in the world’s most desirable mobile phone.”
If Vertu stays true to its legacy of craftsmanship and technological integration, the appeal of the Bentley phone will lie in its design and aesthetic qualities rather than its functionality. The company will take high-end consumerism to new heights by catering to its customers’ mutual desire for unparalleled sophistication and precision engineering in their products. Vertu has yet to release any details on the price tag of the smartphone, but don’t be surprised if it is just as glossy as the product itself.
– Aimee Aurol
